


With an aching in my heart

by musiquetta



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Human, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-04-13 00:10:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4500174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musiquetta/pseuds/musiquetta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three friends meet for the first time on their way to Hogwarts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	With an aching in my heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [celestialshimmer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestialshimmer/gifts).



> Written for the [Polyamorous Wolf Exchange.](http://polyamorouswolfexchange.tumblr.com/)
> 
> And to my recipient, I hope you like it! I went with Pro-Hufflepuff Hogwarts AU and finding family from your prompt list. Also, this is the second time I've been assigned to write for you! Apparently our tastes in Teen Wolf fanfic are drift compatible!
> 
> Title taken from Going To California by Led Zeppelin.

 

 

King's Cross was filled with droves of people pulling suitcases and pushing luggage carts, much like the one in front Scott. On it was his normal enough suitcase , but also cauldrons and old leatherbound books. Not to mention a cage containing one small overexcited owl. Not to mention the floor-length robe he was wearing.

 

Actually, it dragged on the floor and more than a little, but his mother had insisted. He was in the middle of a growth spurt and they couldn't afford another set of robe in the middle of the year. He had been wearing them since they had gotten fitted in Diagon Alley this morning. His mother had protested, said something about blending in into the muggle parts of the big city. But nothing sheer of grabbing her son's feet and shaking the robes off of him would have gotten him out of them again.

 

But this was London after all. They did not fit in too badly with the colourful crowd on every average London street corner. No one ever did.

 

Melissa grabbed her son's hand, gently tugging him along the platform numbers when Scott slowed down. A group of street performers were dancing on the corner. Melissa sighed fondly. He had been doing with every semi-interesting thing that had crossed their path. “C'mon, sweetheart, we're already running a little late,” she needled her son. “You don't wanna miss the train, do you?”

 

That caught Scott's attention, and he hurled off. Soon he dragging his mother behind him on their way through the station. Melissa struggled to keep up, almost crashing into passersby and the odd suitcase, trailing behind irritated travellers. By the time they reached their destination they were both out of breath, panting and laughing as they earned odd stares.

 

And there it was, the very place where she herself first boarded the Hogwarts Express what seemed a lifetime ago. Left and right, ordinary people were boarding the ordinary trains, unaware of the hidden platform between them. Melissa took a deep breath. It was five minutes to eleven and there was no putting it off anymore.

 

“Alright, Scott,” she sighed, adjusting the robes Scott had refused to take off . “One last time: don't go wandering off into the forest, stay in groups when you're going to class, because that castle is a labyrinth. No sneaking off to Hogsmeade and avoid Peeves at all costs.” She took a step back taking in the picture Scott painted – hair messed up and eyes alight with pure joy.

 

“Yes, mom, I know, you've been saying all that stuff for weeks now, so please can I just go now?” Scott whined, never taking his eyes of the brown brick wall. He was bouncing behind the luggage cart, jostling the cage of the tiny little owl he had yet to name.

 

“Just one more thing.” Melissa said, grabbing Scott's chin to turn his face towards her. She pulled Scott up into her arms. “Have a wonderful time, sweetheart.”

 

“I love you, mom.” Scott whispered, tightening his hold around her neck.

 

“I love you too, baby.” she said, wiping a tear from her cheek and pressing a kiss to the crown of Scott's head. “And now go, before I pack you up again and take you home again.”

 

Scott beamed at her before turning around, facing the wall. He ran at it, not even flinching as he was just about to hit the wall. Melissa's heart stopped as he disappeared, despite knowing exactly what would happen.

 

She let out a shaky breath. “Just until Christmas,” she muttered. “I can do this until Christmas.”

 

Barely resisting the urge to follow Scott, she turned around. Behind her, a frail boy stood, gaping at her. He was tall and lanky, all his clothes seemed rumpled. In front of him was a cart, much like the one Scott had just pushed through the wall. Speaking of, the boys eyes jumped between her and the wall. His jaw quivering as if he'd seen a ghost.

 

Melissa remembered the feeling all too well. Sometimes she herself still couldn’t quite believe all the things she had seen, the things she could do. She put on her best healer's smile, the one that said everything would be just fine, and took a few steps forward. As she stood beside the boy to lean down and whisper in his ear. “Nine and Three-Quarters, huh?” she said. The boy nodded emphatically.

 

She pointed at the wall in front of them. “Just walk right through, run if you want. Close your eyes if you're scared. But there’s no reason to be. You're going to do just fine.”

 

The boy looked at her, still incredulous, but slightly less terrified. Melissa stood up straight again, watching as he walked towards the wall. Just before he reached the barrier, he turned around, looking over his shoulder.

 

Melissa smiled and gave him her patented double thumbs up. She could see him breathing, before closing his eyes and sprinting the last few steps, disappearing into the wall.

 

Passing through felt like the air barrier at a mall entrance; a slight change in pressure, then a different draft.

 

Isaac could smell smoke, burning coal. His hands were shaking on his cart, clinging onto it like he was holding onto a lifeline. He still hadn't opened his eyes.

 

He had closed them after running through the wall, just like the nice lady had told him to. The impact she expected had never come and he found that he wasn't even that shocked about it. It hadn't exactly been a normal day – or week, really.

 

Up until Diagon Alley he had been convinced that it had all been an elaborate prank. A letter, inviting Isaac Lahey to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? He had actually laughed when he read that. But not enough to not hold onto it, in the unlikely case that this was his literal ticket away from home.

 

Besides no one at school even hated him enough to pull off something so elaborate, they mostly just ignored him. Called him a few names, but with all the freak accidents happening around him, who wouldn't?

 

And then one night when his father had been of a particularly nasty temper. Isaac figured whatever waited for him on that other side of that prank, it could hardly be worse than what he had now. So he grabbed what little money he had hidden away and set off to London.

 

It had all been like a dream since then – following men in robes from a pub, moving bricks revealing a passage. He'd tumbled into an impossibly bright and bizarre world, filled with owls and wands and – well, magic.

 

 

 

“It's all real.” Isaac whispered to reassure himself, for what felt like the thousandth time today, let alone the past week. He opened his eyes and there it was – bright red and blowing smoke, a steam train labelled Hogwarts Express.

 

He was still frozen in the same exact spot he had stumbled to after running through what appeared to be a solid wall. “I'm a wizard.” he murmured, stumbling along the platform, ducking under the waving arms of parents.

 

His heart was beating against his ribcage at a mile a minute as he boarded.

 

Isaac walked through the train carriages, swearing to himself that he'd walk into the next compartment and say hi to the people in there, start making friends – because he was going to make friends, a lot of them, everything was going to be different at Hogwarts.

 

A group of older students came down the aisle, laughing and taking up the entire space.

 

Isaac felt panic rise in his throat, clutching his bag even tighter as they came towards him. He threw open the next best door, huddling against the paneling to let them pass. He let out a shaky breath as the group passed without a glance in his direction.

 

“Hi,” some kid’s voice came from behind him. Isaac turned around to see a boy sitting there, brown skin and black hair, holding an orange piece of pie. On the other side a pale girl with long auburn curls sat, also holding pie.

 

“Are you okay?” she asked, frowning as she took him in, looking spooked.

 

“I-I'm sorry, I just, uh. I'll leave.” He fumbled for the doorhandle, hitting his knuckles on the wood, panic rising in his chest again.

 

“You can sit,” the boy interrupted Isaac’s hasty retreat. He turned around to look at the boy, biting his bottom lip. “Sit down, please.” he insisted and Isaac swallowed heavily, frozen in place for the moment.

 

“Have a slice of pumpkin pie.” he said, holding a battered box towards Isaac. “My mom made it and it's the best pumpkin pie ever, promise”

 

Isaac took a hesitant step forward, sitting down with his bag still clutched to his chest, and slid down onto the bench next to the boy still holding out the pie with a big toothy grin plastered over his face. He reached for it, half expecting it to be pulled away at the last minute. Hence, the bag. Prepared to flee.

 

But the boy kept still, even nodded when he saw the hesitation in Isaac's eyes.

 

Isaac lifted a slice out of the soggy box and took a bite, chewing, while being stared at by the rest of the compartment.

 

“Is good.” he mumbled around his mouthful. The boy's smile got impossibly wider and he dropped the box back onto the bench. “I'm Scott, by the way. And this,” he pointed to the girl sitting opposite. “is Allison.”

 

 

 

Isaac swallowed heavily. “Isaac,” he said taking another bite of the pie. He only just realized he was starving. He hadn't eaten since – now that he thought about it he hadn't eaten since he left home three days ago. Since then it had been cheap sandwiches from grocery stores and stale bread from bakeries and this pie was simply heaven. He had to hold off to not swallow it in one bite.

 

“It's great to meet you, Isaac.” Allison said, pulling a bright pentagonal box out of her bag, “Chocolate frog?”

 

Isaac stopped mid-motion, eying his crumpled bag lying on the floor. It contained nothing but the sparse change of strange currency he had left after buying supplies and some rumpled clothes. “I don't really have anything to, uh – eat. Share, I mean.”

 

“No, that's okay.” Allison interrupted. “I've packed way too much and I'm definitely getting more once the trolley comes by. Everyone says it tastes way better from there – an enchantment, my aunt claims. I’m so gonna buy it empty,” she laughed, throwing the box across the compartment and into his lap.

 

On the seat beside Scott, a tiny little owl screeched, flapping its wings.

 

“Ah, there we were.” Allison sing-songed. “Naming this guy.”

 

Scott hummed, pulling up the cage to set it down in his lap. “I think I’m gonna name it Stiles.”

 

“Stiles.” Allison echoed. “Weird name for an owl.”

 

Scott shrugged. “Weird name for anyone. My best friend calls himself Stiles, but he’s not coming to Hogwarts. But this little guy,” he said, as the owl screeched at flapped its wings, letting out high-pitched screeches of protest. “kinda reminds me of him.”

 

Allison turned to look at Isaac, again, who awkwardly stared at the box she gave him. “You have to pull the little thing there.” she said, pointing at a wire protruding from the candy. Isaac nodded, still turning the box in his hands. “Are you a muggleborn?” Allison asked, a smile tugging at her lips.

 

“I, uh, guess so.” The vendors in Diagon Alley had called him that when he had stood in the middle of the store, looking lost. But Allison's tone lacked the pity and annoyance the shopkeepers had flavoured their words with.

 

“Is that … bad?” he asked, looking down to where his bag was on the floor, ready to grab it if this was a dealbreaker.

 

“Oh, no. No, no, I didn't mean it like that. I just – my family doesn't really hang out with muggles. I’m just, uh, curious I guess. Scott’s been telling me about TV.” she explained. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

 

“It’s okay.” Isaac shrugged, clearing his throat. “So TV, huh?”

 

“Yup.” Scott smiled. It seemed all the boy did was smile. Isaac liked that. “Most wizard families don’t have ‘em, but we’ve got one. My mum’s a witch, but she’s muggleborn, too, so she’s never really got rid of some things.”

 

 

 

Allison snorted. “My family hasn’t even got a letter box. Anything that isn’t brought by an owl, they don’t want it.”

 

“So they're all, uh, magic?” he said, instead of a better idea.

 

“Yes, I suppose they are.” Allison said, smiling at him. She had deep dimples and her eyes looked even prettier when she smiled. “They’re also mostly aurors – kind of like magic special police, they’re catching dark wizards and stuff.”

 

“Dark wizards,” Isaac echoed, immediately thinking of Oz and Saruman, dreading to ask what dark magic entailed in the real world. And what even was his life that he thought about ‘dark magic in the real world’?

 

“My mum’s a healer.” Scott chimed in. “She works at St. Mungo's, that's a magic hospital.”

 

“There are magic hospitals?” Isaac asked before he could stop himself.

 

“There are pretty much magic _everythings_ ,” Allison shrugged.

 

“You just hold onto us,” Scott said, bumping their shoulders together, “we'll figure this out together.”

 

“Yeah,” Isaac said. “sounds good.”

 

The rest of the train ride was over too fast. Isaac learned a great deal from both of Scott and Allison, some of it mystified him, some things excited him, and some just terrified him

 

Like the houses. There were different houses. Isaac took a deep breath. Allison was standing next to him, clasping his hand and all Isaac could think about was how clammy his hands must feel. Scott stood on the other side, holding Allison's other hand.

 

Just his luck; he finds friends on the train and now he’s going to be sorted into different houses and he'll be alone at the lunch table again. ‘Were there even lunch tables at a magic school?’ he had wondered and it turned out that yes, there were and also they were canopied by what looked like the real sky. He’d freak out about that later.

 

“Allison Argent,” the lady wizard that greeted them on the staircase called. Allison squeezed both their hands before skipping up the stairs towards the chair with the tattered hat sitting on it. Isaac didn’t know much about the houses, only that they were supposed to help you get the most out of your time here, because each house valued different traits. That’s how Allison explained at least.

 

The hat had sunk deeply onto Allison’s head and it kept moving and mumbling. At last it perked up.

 

“Gryffindor,” the hat yelled and the table in red erupted in cheers. Allison was smiling like crazy, bouncing down the stairs towards her new housemates.

 

Scott moved closer as the next students were called to the Sorting Hat. “You okay?” he asked quietly, having to stretch a bit to whisper into Isaac's ear.

 

“Yeah, just a little,” he coughed, “nervous.”

 

“Me too.” Scott said, brushing his fingertips against Isaac's palm. Isaac looked down at him in surprise, seeing the other boy smile up at him. Scott squeezed his hand and turned to face the front again of the hall as the names called moved along the alphabet.

 

And then Isaac's name was called out. Reluctantly, he let go of Scott's hand and took a few shaky steps up the stairs. He turned to look over his shoulder, seeing Scott there, giving him a thumbs up. A smile tugged at his lips and he walked up the rest of the stairs.

 

The leather of the hat smelled old and dusty, and Isaac wondered how this was even going to work?

 

He let his gaze wander over the hall, seeing Allison at the Gryffindor table, watching intently.

 

The hat sat on his head in silence and Isaac felt panic rise in his chest. What if he didn't belong here after all? What if the letters _had_ been a joke, a mix-up?

 

“Hmm,” he heard an old raspy voice from somewhere he couldn't quite place. “what do we have here. A whole lot of shakes and shivers, so maybe Gryffindor's out of the question.”

 

Isaac felt his heart sink, his eyes searching for Allison again. She stared at him intently, maybe hoping Isaac would join her at her table? His eyes fluttered down, not wanting to see the disappointment in her eyes when the hat called out anything but Gryffindor. He wondered if she still would want to be friends.

 

“Ah, there it is – a need to belong, yes. Unflinching loyalty, also.” A low chuckle sounded through his head. “Hufflepuff!”

 

The last word rang hollow, like it was echoing far away. Then, the hat was lifted off and the muffled cheers grew succinct. Isaac drew a shaky breath, not daring to look over where Allison sat, Scott stood. He slouched down the stairs towards his new housemates, not looking up again to see the look on Scott's face, on Allison's.

 

On the train Isaac had stumbled into an older student, and as he mumbled his apologies, the kid had snorted and turned to his friends to say something about ‘ditzy Hufflepuffs, too dumb to put one foot in front of the other’.

 

Simple. Useless. Were those Isaac’s ‘valued traits’? He was used to it. He’d almost laugh, if he didn’t want to hide somewhere and quiet, surrounded as he was, by new housemates, strangers. The thought of having to get to know them let him feel the bone-crushing tiredness that had been building inside of him.

 

Isaac slumped down on the bench and sank in on himself. He didn’t look up to look for Scott and Allison again. Better prepare himself to lose them before he dared to get used to them. Instead he kept himself busy by studying the cracks and dents in the old, worn table, decidedly not listening for Scott's name to be called out.

 

Tables burst into cheers as more students got sorted, but no other addition to their table was announced, letting Isaac fully delve into the hunger gnawing at his bones. And then, everyone around Isaac erupted into cheers. He jerked up, looking around, only to see a newly familiar face running towards him, all but jumping over the bench and crashing into Isaac's side.

 

 

 

Scott threw an arm around his shoulders, smiling proudly. “I'm with you,” he yelled over the still ongoing cheers.

 

Isaac nodded through a shaky breath. “Yeah, you are.”

 

#

 

 

“So yeah, my family are big when it comes to the ‘making history’ thing.” Allison said, shrugging at the chunky woodcarving printed on the pages of the thick leatherbound book Isaac and Scott were shoving into her face.

 

 

It had the Argents' family crest at the bottom, as well as some motto in french that Scott could barely wrap his head around.

 

“How come you never told us?” Scott asked, awed as he skimmed over the text. It painted the Argents as _the_ authority on anything that goes bump in the night. When the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures was at their wit's end, they sent off an owl to the Argents, it seemed.

 

“It's complicated,” Allison sighed. “and sometimes really sucky.” She continued to scratch her quill over the parchment. The potions assignment she was working on was the real reason they were here in the library. It was pretty much the last thing standing between them and three months of free time and would wrap up their third year at Hogwarts.

 

“How so?” Isaac asked. Allison looked up. These days Isaac loomed over all of them. Sometimes, Allison was convinced the boy grew every time she took his eyes off of him for more than a minute.

 

“Lots of prejudice against a lot of creatures, for starters.” she sighed. “Imagine the most awful thing you’ve ever heard anyone say about centaurs, giants or werewolves, any magical creature, really. I promise you I’ve heard an Argent say it over breakfast like they were discussing the weather.” Her voice was slightly shaky despite her best efforts. Family was a sore subject.

 

Scott made a rumbly noise and pulled back from the book, enthusiasm sufficiently dampened. Allison hated to see it go, but she wasn’t going to let him believe that the Argents couldn’t be a whole lot less than the heroes the history books liked to praise.

 

For every beast terrorizing villages there was a poor creatures whose only crime was crossing the wrong Argent’s path.

 

“Also, half the family's Slytherin and the other half is Gryffindor,” she sing-songed with a strained smile. She had always wondered about that but for generations the family was pretty evenly split amongst the two houses. She used to fantasize – and still sometimes did – about their faces, had she been sorted elsewhere. It would have been great to rock their centuries of prejudice by killing it at school whilst not being a part of either side.

 

But she wasn’t and thus had to find another way to shake them out of their bigotry.

 

“Must be fun at Christmas.” Isaac commented with sympathy. His Christmases at home never had been much fun either. Not that he had been to one since there was the alternative option of declining his friends' invitations and spending the holidays alone in the Common Room. In fact, home had never been anything like fun for him, that much Scott and Allison had gleaned through some comments, though they both loathed to infer the true extent.

 

“Don't remind me.” Allison stared out of the library window. The sun was beating down but the literally and metaphorically chilly atmosphere at the Christmas table was always present in her mind. She shook her head to rid herself of the lingering dread those memories held and instead snuck a glance at Isaac. The boy stared wistfully out of the window, probably lost to his own thoughts of Christmas.

 

Which brought Allison back to something she had discussed and planned with Scott.

 

Scott had closed the history book he and Isaac had dug up, instead listlessly leafing through the potions books they had gathered. She tapped her quill against Scott’s leg, trying to get his attention without jostling Isaac out of his thoughts.

 

'Ask him,' Allison mouthed at Scott, when Scott looked up at her in confusion.

 

Scott chewed on his lower lip. When they had discussed everything, it seemed like a good idea, but now, Scott felt doubts nagging at his certainty. But he was at his wit’s end when it came to Isaac and his reluctance to spend time with them. Especially considering the bruises that adorned his skin come every September.

 

He sighed.

 

“What is it?” Allison asked, worry in her voice. Entirely by intent, of course. It was part of the plan.

 

“It's just that … you know how my mom works for St. Mungo's?”

 

“What about it?”

 

“She's going on this trip to study the healing arts of the witches in Transylvania and she's asked me to come so we can spend summer together. And I wouldn't miss that for anything, but she'll be away most of the time and I'll be stuck in a crappy inn in Transylvania.” Scott deflated, looking up at the others in the way that he hoped was the 'puppy eyes' as Allison called them. “I'm kinda hoping there'll be vampires, otherwise I'll die of boredom.”

 

“Actually, barely any vampires still live in Transylvania. That stupid Muggle book kinda messed that up for them.” Allison mumbled. “But anyway, I can't come. I have to go home, we do sort of a family thing every summer.”

 

Both Allison and Scott looked up at Isaac who was chewing his lip, opening his mouth before thinking better of it.

 

“What about you, Isaac?” Scott asked, as casually as he could.

 

“What about me?”

 

“Do you wanna spend summer in mostly vampire-free Transylvania with me?” Scott asked. He could see the gears turning in Isaac’s head. Truth was, his mother had encouraged him to bring someone along, but he hesitated to ask. Allison would be busy and Isaac was, well. He hadn’t taken Scott up on any of his offers to spend the holidays with him. When Allison had caught him laboring over the letter his mom sent, she had convinced Scott to try and get Isaac to come.

 

“I – well, I mean, if that's what you, uh … ” Isaac drew a shaky breath. “If that's what you want.”

 

“I'd love for you to come, Isaac. But only if that's what you want, too.” Scott clarified. This was what had kept him from asking in the first place; putting Isaac in a spot where he felt like he’d let Scott down if he said no.

 

“I, – no, I want. I mean, no vampires sounds kinda stupid, but y'know.” Isaac shrugged, his lanky limbs giving the movement an exaggerated quality. “We'll manage.”

 

Isaac grinned as he left for Herbology. It somewhat soothed Scott’s anguish over the slight manipulation.

 

“It still feels like lying,” Scott mumbled, leafing through the book in his lap. “I want him to come because he wants to come, not because I tricked him into believing I need him there. I mean, it would be better, but I could do it on my own.”

 

“You know he won't do anything for himself, even if he wants it.” Allison sighed. “But he'll do anything for you.”

 

Scott sighed deeply. He knew Allison was right with her judgement of Isaac’s reasons for turning down their invitations, be it for Christmas or simply Hogsmeade. “I want him to do it for himself.”

 

“He will.” Allison stated. “One day. Also, you're not one to talk, you _would_ have spent all your summer there, on your own because you think it'd be too much to ask.”

 

They did manage to run into probably last vampire. But she played a mean game of Wizard's Chess and invited them both to a butterbeer.

 

And the New Year’s of fourth year they all spent together; Isaac’s enthusiastic ‘yes’ to Scott’s invitation made Scott’s chest well with pride.

 

#

 

Isaac sighed, enjoying the feeling of Scott's hand tangled in his curls. The other boy's jeans were rough against his neck, the sun was warm on his face and right in that moment all was right with the world.

 

Next to them, a stack of books, intent on preparing them for their O.W.L.s, lay forgotten as the two boys basked in the afternoon sun on the lakeshore. Isaac closed his eyes, drifting in and out of consciousness to the sound of water crashing on the rocky shore and the distant laughter of other students enjoying the last hot days of autumn.

 

How Isaac had ended up with his head in Scott's lap, he didn't entirely know and the only reason he cared was because he would prefer to end up here again. Preferably all the time.

 

He could always ask. Scott was always touching him, indulging Isaac’s . But if he started down that road, started asking, _demanding_ … even Scott’s patience with him couldn’t be unending. He’d rather wait for these moments to come along as they did. It was not like Scott was stingy with his affections.

 

It was rather becoming a problem, letting Isaac delve deeper into his delusions of Scott caring about him in some way different than just as a friend.

 

Isaac opened his eyes, looking up at Scott. The other boy leaned against the trunk of the thick oak tree, eyes, the light shining through the foliage, drowning his brown skin in flecks of light, a lazy smile tugging at his lips.

 

Isaac swallowed heavily as he forced down all foolish thoughts.

 

“What is it?” Scott asked sleepily as Isaac squirmed, tearing his eyes away from Scott.

 

“Maybe we should start learning.” Isaac mumbled, reluctantly sitting up and beside Scott instead.

 

“Let’s wait for Allison.” Scott yawned, rubbing his eyes. “Maybe I’ll be a bit more awake then.”

 

“I didn’t mean to wake you.”

 

“You didn’t, I was just … comfortable.” Scott smiled at him.

 

“That’s, uh, good.” Isaac said, hoping the blush creeping onto his cheeks wasn’t quite as flaming as it felt. He leaned back against the old and gnarly tree trunk, shoulder brushing against Scott's.

 

“But you're probably right,” Scott sighed, poking at the books with his bare foot. “I do need an Exceeds Expectations in just about everything if I want to be a healer,” he laughed haughtily, a slight frown tugging at his features.

 

“That's still the plan, then? You tell your mom yet?”

 

“Not yet. I’ll see how the year goes. Maybe at Christmas. You’re coming, right?”

 

“Uh, you mean Christmas? Sure, if you want me.”

 

“I always want you.”

 

Isaac startled, his heart hitching in his chest for a split second before he reigned himself in. The turn of phrase had caught him off guard and now Scott was looking at him with those big brown eyes. Scott lifted a hand, the pad of his thumb brushing along Isaac’s jawline.

 

Somewhere behind them some students were hooting and laughing and Isaac spooked, clearing his throat.

 

Down the hill came Allison, robes gushing behind her as she stormed down the hill and dropped down on the ground.

 

Allison huffed as a gaggle of red-clad students passed them, looking at her with disgust plain on their faces.

 

“A couple of your family members go darkside, suddenly they treat you like you got spattergroit.” she hissed, grabbing her book out of her bag, smashing it down on the ground.

 

“Don't pay attention to them,” Scott said, stretching his arm to take her hand and squeeze it. “they're all idiots if they're going to hold your family's actions against you.”

 

 

 

Allison squeezed back, giving Scott a weary smile. “I know it's just tiring … listening to them whisper, seeing them stare in the Common Room – hell, even in my own dorm room.”

 

“Come to our room,” Isaac blurted out, before he could stop himself.”

 

The two broke their stare and looked down at Isaac, who fled from Scott's lap, fingers threading through his messed up curls. Allison smiled at him. “I'd love to, believe me, but,” she sighed. “I don't want to get you two in trouble. As wrong as my housemates are, judging me like they do, I doubt yours would be thrilled to have me there.”

 

“We’re not in the habit of turning people away,” Scott assured her, “I have no doubt of that.”

 

“Is that your Hufflepuff sense tingling?” Allison joked. They all chuckled, remembering that New Year's Eve they had all spent at the McCall's house, falling asleep to the sounds of fireworks still going off, on the couch that was too small for the three of them. In the morning watched the entire collection of Spiderman movies Scott possessed, after Isaac and Allison had confessed that neither ever saw them.

 

“He's right,” Isaac agreed. “not when out here, there's _this_.” A group of Gryffindor's passed them by, sneering at them.

 

“And if that won't work, we'll steal all your roommates' blankets and camp out in the Astronomy Tower, until they come around.” Scott chuckled.

 

“That might be a long time,” Allison sighed, curling into Scott's side.

 

“It'll piss Finch off,” Isaac interjected. “that's a good enough reason to do anything.”

 

Scott laughed, wrapping his arms around both their shoulders. “We'll make it work.”

 

It only took one physical fight, one entirely justified use of Scott’s prefect privileges, and one hex, but finally the other students seemed to forget about picking on Allison.

 

Maybe it was only because winter brought along the preparations of the Yule Ball and with it, generally everybody caring about not much else than who goes with who.

 

Scott was a few steps behind that, quite literally. Allison had been trying her best to teach him, with mediocre results.

 

As for Isaac, he hadn't even been trying. He'd ditched the official dance lessons in fourth year, and then the actual ball was canceled for the three of them when they got caught up in detention. Isaac seemed to be trying for much the same outcome this year and had been ditching Allison’s private dance lessons.

 

Scott was doing his best to follow the instructions Allison gave him, the pair stumbling over the tiled floor of an empty classroom, with their bags huddled in their corner, the door ajar.

 

“Your feet still okay?” Scott laughed, catching the slight wince as at the end of their turn his foot ended atop hers once more.

 

“I’ll live.” Allison huffed. “Barely.”

 

Scott poked his finger into her side, making her squirm, but not enough to make them lose their patters of steps and twirls. “Thanks for doing this.”

 

Allison smiled at him. “Don’t mention it. Besides, I’m hoping to get a decent dance partner for the Yule Ball out of this.”

 

“That your sneaky way of asking me to the Ball, Miss Argent?”

 

“Maybe it is, Mister McCall.”

 

“Well, with moves like that, how could I say no to you?”

 

Allison laughed, spinning Scott around the room.

 

“Aren’t I supposed to lead this?” Scott laughedtightening his grip on Allison's waist as she threatened to shake him off.

 

Allison pursed her lips and shook her head. “No, definitely not.”

 

The door creaked open as they laughed, and Isaac came in, bag loosely hanging from his shoulders. He froze in the doorframe, taking them both in. They both chuckled, spinning around the room.. “But – _one_ two three, _one_ two three – I think you have it.” Allison said, smiling proudly.

 

“You heard that, Isaac?” Scott beamed as Isaac dropped down at an empty desk and pulled out ink and parchment. “I'm not going to make an ass out of myself after all.”

 

“At least not while dancing.” Allison chuckled, purposefully putting her foot forward to trip Scott, nearly sending them both sprawling to the ground laughing. Allison caught him by the hands again, kept him upright before turning to face Isaac. “Now all we gotta do is teach you,” she said, turning her head up to look at Isaac.

 

“I'll pass, thanks.” Isaac continued doodling on what was supposed to be his latest attempt at the Charms essay that was killing him.

 

“Oh, come on.” Allison whined. “You don't have to dance, but we'll still go, have a great time together.”

 

“No, I'm not going,” Isaac mumbled, pressing down his quill harder than necessary. “Nah. I'll just stay in the Common Room, get my O.W.L. stuff sorted. Besides, I don't even know who to ask.”

 

Scott and Allison exchanged a look. “I thought, we'd all go together,” Scott said, dropping down onto the chair next to Isaac. “The three of us.”

 

“You two don't need me, I'd only get in the way.” Isaac said, waving a hand dismissively, focusing on his parchment instead of his two best and only friends in the world. But for the life of him, he couldn't remember what subject it was for. The tip of the quill dug into the paper, bending beyond repair. “Can't even dance.”

 

“We'd rather have you there.” Allison said. “You know that. Always.”

 

“Just … let it go, okay?” Isaac snapped at Allison, shrugging Scott's hand off of his shoulder. Their presence, the subtle warmth seeping through where they touched caged him instead of lifting him like it usually did. He stuffed the ruined parchment and the bent quill into his bag. “I have to finish this somewhere else.”

 

He was barely out the door, when Scott made to get up. Allison caught his wrist, pulling him back down. “First, I think it's time to talk about the Giant Squid in the room.”

 

Scott frowned. “What do you mean?”

 

“I know what's happening, and deep down so do you,” Allison said, threading their fingers together. “There's something between us; something else than friendship. I know I'm not imagining it. Just like I'm not imagining the way you and Isaac look at each other.”

 

Scott looked down, tried to pull away the hand Allison was holding, but Allison didn't let him. He swallowed heavily. “I haven't been acting my best, but I'm just ... confused.” he admitted. “I know that's not fair of me.”

 

“What isn't fair is Isaac hiding in the Astronomy tower because he feels like he has no place here. With us” Allison lifted her hand to Scott's face, turning it towards her. “As if he has any less reason or right to be at your side.”

 

“I can't imagine this is easy for you.” Scott said, guilt gnawing at his insides. The last weeks had been an increasing mix of flirty comments and interrupted moments.

 

“Well, I'm about to make it easier.” Allison said. “Scott you have the biggest heart out of anyone I've ever met. I am not asking you to choose, I am asking you to move forward. Because Isaac doesn't see what we see – when he looks at himself, when he looks at the two of you.”

 

Scott looked at her like that time in Transfiguration when she literally grew a second head. “You mean like, be with you … and Isaac?”

 

Allison nodded.

 

“And you two will be – what?”

 

“Friends. Maybe something else, too. That depends on what Isaac has to say about all of this but all I know is that this unspoken thing won’t last much longer. It’ll break if we keep it locked inside something it isn’t.”

 

“You make it sound so easy; I doubt it will be.” Scott mumbled.

 

Allison shrugged. “We’ll make it work. _I’ll_ make it work. Who exactly will stop me?”

 

“Well when you put it like that.” Scott chuckled, kissing Allison's cheek. “What would I even do without you?”

 

“You're never going to find out.” Allison smiled, pressing a kiss to the corner of Scott's mouth. “Now go, he'll be waiting for you.”

 

The Astronomy Tower was deserted as always at this hour, except for Isaac dangling his feet over the edge of the balcony. A knock came from behind him.

 

“How did you find me?”

 

“I always know when you’re here. Mostly, I just thought it'd be better to leave you alone though.”

 

“And now?”

 

“Now I think I need to talk to you.” Scott sighed, sitting next to him, keeping a respectful distance between them.

 

“Look, I know I overreacted and if you’re gonna tell me to back off, don’t bother, I will. I never wanted to mess things up for you two.”

 

“You messed up nothing, if anything it's my fault for not doing any of this sooner.”

 

“Like I said, I'll back off, don't worry.” Isaac snapped.

 

“No, Isaac, that's not why I'm here. I – ” He leaned forward and towards Isaac. “Can I … come closer?”

 

Normally, touch was as essential to Scott interacting with people as breathing. But he knew that on occasion, it could be too much. Not everyone welcomed the comfort that Scott sought to give. At least not always.

 

Isaac turned to look at him, biting his lip as he was torn between emotions. “I'd rather you didn't.” he breathed out, looking straight ahead again.

 

Scott nodded, leaning against a wooden beam instead. “Things have been … complicated between the three of us for some time now and that's my fault. I thought I could just let things go on like they were. I was afraid of making it worse. But Allison made me see that isn't fair to either of you. Can you look at me, please?”

 

Isaac sighed, turning his head just so he could look at Scott out of the corner of his eye.

 

“I could never be with one of you and not with the other. And that is the truth. You're both a huge part of my life and I couldn't bear to lose either of you. The this is, the thing I've been needing to tell you is, I want to be with you, Isaac.”

 

“You don't have to do this. You can be with Allison and I'll stick around.” Isaac looked at him, with that crooked, forced smile on his lips. “I know how you feel about her. You don't have to do this.” he repeated.

 

“That's not what I'm doing. Isaac, that's not what this is.” Scott echoed his earlier words, lifted his hand again, and left it hovering near Isaac's shoulder. Isaac looked at Scott's hesitant gesture, and nodded. Scott's hand settled on him, fingertips gently pressing down against his shoulderblades. “And I think if you really think on this, you know it's not.”

 

Isaac turned to look at him for the first time since Scott had come up here. “Maybe I've … not been imagining some stuff, like I thought.”

 

Scott smiled. “I meant all of that, even the stuff I probably didn’t really notice.”

 

Isaac shook his head. “And now what?”

 

Scott slid his hand down towards Isaac's hand squeezing it. “Now? I think I'm gonna kiss you, if that's alright with you.”

 

Isaac laughed. “I meant in general, you know?”

 

Scott shrugged. “Allison said we're gonna figure it out.”

 

Isaac laughed before looking up at Scott, smiling. “Then I guess we will.”

 

“I'd still like to kiss you, though.”

 

“I bet you do,” Isaac said, watching Scott hover near him, before tilting his head and pressing his lips against Scott's.

 

#

 

The sunset was warmer than the rest of the day had been as the rain had only just let up. Isaac was still standing under awning of the Herbology greenhouses, where he had taken refuge from the downpour after finishing up his Herbology project for his N.E.W.T.s.

 

“Hey,” a familiar voice called from somewhere behind him. He turned to see Allison running up the hill, with the Daily Prophet tucked over her head to protect herself against the last drizzles fizzling out.

 

“Hey yourself,” Isaac called back as Allison ducked under his refuge. “What 'cha doing out here?”

 

“I was just picking up way too much candy in Hogsmeade. I need it to get through my last study session.”

 

Isaac laughed, at the memory of Allison riding a sugar high through pretty much all their exams, but there was a sad tinge in his chest. Summer was at its height and all their major exams were done; school was wrapping up.

 

For the three of them, it was going to be forever.

 

Allison smiled up at him, threading her fingers through her hair, taming all the strands the rain messed up.

 

He looked down at her, feeling the smile seep out of his lips. “It's all going to end, isn't it?”

 

“Not all of it.” Allison said, shaking the drenched newspaper, opening a page that had several dark circles of ink around several text passages.

 

“What's that?” he asked, following her out into the last few drops falling from the sky.

 

“Flats, of course. Some houses too, but most of those are haunted. Does wonders for the rent, but I can’t imagine you’ll sleep too well. Some of the flats, too, fresh graduates can’t be choosers, right?”

 

“Where are you moving?” Isaac asked, walking beside her, trying to sound casual, as though he wouldn't miss her like all four limbs.

 

“You're joking, right?” Allison laughed. Isaac increased his step. So did Allison, tucking the newspaper under her arm to grab Isaac's hand. “You _are_ joking, right?” Isaac reluctantly turned to face her.

 

“We always said we we're going to move somewhere together, Isaac.”

 

It was true, Allison and Scott had always said things like 'once we live together' but in this moment Isaac realized he didn't believe. Not truly. Not really. “That was just kids talking. This is real.”

 

“So's this.” Allison said, taking Isaac's hand in hers, “There's only so long we can crash at Scott's because even his mom's patience wears thin. It might have worked last summer, but eventually, we're gonna have a place for us that's big enough so we don't live in each other's pockets. Or you can get your own place, if that’s what you want.”

 

“No,” Isaac said, blinking heavily, “together's good.”

 

“Yeah, it is.” Allison smiled, standing on her toes to press a kiss to Isaac's lips.

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> And that's it for now. I'm [here](http://cptcarol.tumblr.com/) on tumblr, come say hi!


End file.
